It's a Long, Unknown Road to Recovery
by KatherineMP20
Summary: After being hospitalized, Katie-OC- is released. She plans on heading back to her apartment with a temporary live in nurse to help her with daily activities as she recovers. Better Summary inside!
1. Chapter 1

***AN* SUMMARY: Katie (My OC) is released from the hospital. She needs additional recovery time before returning back to work. She plans on staying in her apartment with her live in nurse as she recuperates. The guys are headed on tour in a week or two, and Katie can't go with them. What happens next? Read on. **

**I hope I can write a better summary than that later. I didnt know what to write without giving too much away. it was more difficult than I thought. This is a sequel to BTA: Uncertainty. This is the story of Katie's recoop and the guys are mixed in. this story doesnt have too much of a plot and it will be pretty slow paced. I couldnt even think of a category for this story. There hasnt been any humor yet and its not a fantasy/drama/romance etc. It could be though. This story will be like a free write project. I have a general idea of where it is going but its not laid out like my other ones.**

It had been a few weeks since Katie was admitted to the hospital. The guys were on their way to visit her again like they did. They weren't able to make it everyday, but it worked out that on the days they couldn't were the days she did physical therapy anyway. The guys had since returned to filming and recording in the studio. They kept up with their dance moves, vocal lessons and other tour boot camp activities. They had the day off today and had slept in. Carlos was the first one to arrive. Logan came next and last came James and Kendall who had carpooled together. Katie was much better, she was always more alert and full of energy. She still needed a little help now and then especially with walking but was doing fine, she wasn't as sick either. The doctors had her on a successful regimen; they had found the right dose of medicine, the correct therapy and was well on her way. She was ready to go home in another day or two. She was going to need about another month to fully recover. She would have to stay in Hollywood though, she wasn't fit for travel. Katie was going to need a temporary live in nurse to accompany Katie at home and on the lot.

The doctor had told her this a couple days ago. She passed on the message to all of them once they got there and they were ecstatic.

"That's great!" James cheered

"You'll be on your feet in no time." Logan added.

"I can't travel though, I'll have to stay here while you guys go on tour next month."

"Really?" Carlos said, downtrodden.

"Sorry to hear that, we'll miss you on tour." Kendall said sympathetically.

"If you cant travel then where are you going to go?" Carlos asked seriously

"Yeah you can't stay in that apartment." Kendall stated.

"Why not?" she asked

"Its too small and cramped for you to maneuver in and to have a nurse stay. Plus it's out of the way for everything." Logan pointed out.

"That's true." Carlos agreed.

"Tell you what, why don't you stay at my place? I'll be on tour anyway. There is plenty of room and its on the beach." James offered

"My family is a few streets down too. My brothers can check up on you or get you groceries." Kendall said.

"Plus I do have a housekeeper that comes in a couple times a week, she knows where everything is and how everything works." James added

"And we'll be here for another week or two, just enough time to help you get settled." Carlos said. With that, they started making plans and putting other ideas in order.

***AN* Short first chapter but now you know some background. So as you can see the summary can get more detailed now; *SPOILERS* James offers Katie his place to stay at, as there is more room to move rather her tiny apartment. Its closer to amenities too. Like I said, this will be rather slow; not much will be going on in this story, at least for right now. Its just going to tell of the OC's recovery: the ups, the downs, stuff like that. this was a pre-planned story but didnt have BTR in it. I updated my profile a week go, what I am doing is combining all my ideas to BTR stories. I want to get some of these done, they have been sitting for so long. I have a good size list of stories to write. and before I start any 'just btr' fics I want to finish and publish these.**


	2. Chapter 2

***AN*Chapter 2. Chapter 3 may take a bit getting here, as well as the rest of the story. I'm not in much of a writing mood. I've been getting easily distracted and antsy. I find that I like to write the most at night but that is also when I am the most time restricted. I had a hand injury too, I got it last week, healing nicely. I might write about that in the next one or the one after that. Depends on how I think it through. It hurt alot when I first got it, felt like I broke it and was difficult to type, but I'm doing fine, nothing serious at all. Enjoy this chapter, and I hope to get the rest to you soon. I dont think this will be too long. I'd be surprised if it got to 10 chapters. I'm keeping them short though, only to one page on Works per chapter. Some maybe longer than others though.  
><strong>

2 days later Katie was discharged from the hospital. She had a large packet of care and instructions. She would need to follow this to the letter for a few weeks. The guys were prepared to help her out. Nurses put her in a wheelchair and wheeled her outside. Kendall pulled his car around. He got out of the car to help. James got in the back seat. The nurses helped Katie to stand then guided her to the car's open door and helped her sit. James reached forward and helped pull her inside. He got out on the other side; trading places with Logan. Carlos got in after Katie and him and Logan strapped her in. Kendall went back to the driver's seat and plugged in his GPS before entering Katie's address. Her apartment was very easy to miss and difficult to get to. James turned to the nurses to grab a bag off the back of the wheelchair and put it in the car. Carlos took the packet and listened to some last minute instructions. Logan got in the car and buckled himself up.  
>Katie sat quietly as Kendall got in the car and Logan conversed with him. James got in next and buckled up before turning back to Logan to ask him something. Carlos finally got in and as soon as he buckled up, Kendall put the car in drive and drove off. Kendall took the highway, to try to avoid a lot of the LA traffic and lights. It was a relatively quick drive, only taking about 10 minutes. Carlos and Logan attended to Katie the entire time. She didn't need much, nor did she ask for anything, but they were on top of things and diligent. Katie wasn't used to sitting in a chair too much yet, let alone a car. It got uncomfortable after a while. They kept her moving as best they could to avoid any muscle cramps, per nurse's instructions.<br>Once they arrived at Katie's place, Kendall and James were out of the car first. Kendall went to his trunk to make some room for Katie's things. James was met by Carlos' door. Katie went to unbuckle herself, but Logan got to it first. She slid herself over to the door and Grabbed James and Carlos' hands to pull herself up. Logan stayed in the car in case she needed help then slid out the door behind her. They guided her on the first few steps as she gained her balance, then she was able to walk on her own. They headed to the entrance and went inside.  
>"It's been a while, I'm going to check my mail."<br>"Here I'll get it, you start upstairs and I'll meet you there." Logan said.  
>"Ok, thanks." She said, handing him the keys.<br>"What box?" He asked  
>"520." she responded.<br>"Got it." he said before darting down the hall. The rest o them headed in the opposite direction. Katie was walking on her own with little problem. James went to press the elevator button when Katie continued to walk past him.  
>"Where are you going?" James asked<br>"The stairs." Katie replied  
>"I think you should take the elevator" Carlos stated<br>"I never take the elevator" She rebutted  
>"You should." James stated<br>"Not a fan of elevators?" Carlos asked  
>"Not really. I can ride in them, I just prefer not to." Katie responded<br>"I understand. But honestly you should take the elevator. Just until you get used to doing stairs again." Carlos insisted  
>"Ok." She agreed. They entered the elevator once it arrived. Carlos looked at the buttons for a second before pressing '5' and up they went.<br>Logan was coming back down the hall with Katie's mail, looking at the cover of one of her magazines, when Kendall came through the front door.  
>"Logan." Kendall said, trying to get his friend's attention.<br>"Oh hey, K-dog." Logan replied  
>"Did the others head upstairs already?" Kendall asked<br>"Yeah, I think so. I went to get Katie's mail for her." Logan said  
>"She get anything good?" Kendall asked curious<br>"I don't know. I didn't look through it, just looking at the cover of the teen mags she gets." Logan responded. He handed Kendall the mags to flip through while he shuffled through the mass of envelops. "Looks like she got a couple of get well cards or maybe just letters. And some junk mail." Kendall looked up from the mags to glance at the other mail in Logan's hands. "Come on, let's head upstairs." Logan said. Kendall followed him silently.  
><strong><br>**


	3. Chapter 3

***AN* Third Chapter is a bit early. hope you are as surprised as I am. I really wasnt feeling it to be honest but it came out anyway, i've been feeling down/angsty and wanted to write a story to go along with it but my head was so clouded that I couldnt. I'm going to try to stick the the ideas that are already open, rather than start new ones. I guess this one is getting a little long as it is. It may indeed go up to 10 chapters. when I get really into my writing I tend to get detailed, writing like I am actually seeing this story unfold before my very eyes. I'll try to make the story short and just get the basic points across. Enjoy.**

Upstairs, James, Carlos and Katie were in the apartment. It was in a bit of a mess, granted she hadn't been there in close to a month, but this was more than just 'settling'.  
>She wasn't as disorganized as Kendall though. In honesty, there wasn't a lot of stuff in her apartment, it just looked that way because of the mess everything was in. The room was slightly falling apart but what would you expect in a cramped apartment in the city.<br>"Well, let's get you packed," James said.  
>"While you do that, I'm going to clean out your fridge and trash so you don't come back to nasty odors." Carlos offered. He was always the first one to clean up a mess. He was a very neat and tidy person but never rubbed it in anyone's face or belittled them for their bad habits. He had already headed to the kitchen and James was heading to the bedroom.<br>"Alright, so you're going to need some clothes, and other basic stuff. Where is your suitcase?" he asked. She thought for a moment, trying to think when she used it last and where she put it. She walked over to the hall closet and pulled out a medium sized, old black duffle bag. It was ratty to say the least. The handle was frayed, the zipper dull and discolored, the material thin in places as well as a few small holes; a bunched up area with yellow thread showed where some quick repairs were done in a last ditch effort to save the bag from the trash.  
>"Is this it?" he questioned<br>"Yep. I don't have much stuff, and I don't go anywhere. If I do I just use boxes. This is good enough for some clothes."  
>"Alright then." He said, taking the bag from her. He headed to the bedroom and went to her closet. He opened it and paused for a second before looking in on both sides, up and down, and then peeking back out. "Where are all you're clothes?" He asked, raising a brow.<br>"What do you mean? They should all be in my closet." She replied walking in.  
>"There's like 10 shirts and 4 pairs of pants." He said as she reached him and looked in.<br>"Yeah, that's everything." she confirmed. He stared at her confused and surprised.  
>"…This… This is all you have?" he stuttered.<br>"Yep."  
>"Katie, I have more clothes than you! I never noticed, this was all you had…" James said. It was true, when they came to the lot in the morning they were often tired and not paying attention. They rarely arrived at the same time, therefore some of the cast was already in wardrobe or already dressed. And at night, after 14 hours in front of the camera, they just wanted to go home and they didn't pay much attention still. A knock could be heard in the distance before the door opened and shut. Kendall and Logan had finally made their way to her apartment.<br>"Katie I got your mail." Logan called to her. She came out of the bedroom to quickly sift through it. Kendall was still flipping through one of the magazines.  
>"Thanks Logan." She said with a smile as he handed the keys to her.<br>"Katie I finished the fridge, where's the dumpster?" Carlos asked as he tied up a trash bag.  
>"Umm, its behind the building. Taking the back stairs will take you right to the door you want, otherwise when you get out of the elevator, you need to take a left, head down the hall to the mailboxes, take a right and up a short flight of stairs." she instructed.<br>"Ok. I'll be right back" He said as he flipped the bag over his shoulder.  
>"Wait I think I have some trash in my bedroom. Can you take it too?" She asked<br>"Sure" He agreed  
>"Thanks, let me go get it." She jogged to her bedroom and found James packing the last of her clothes. She grabbed her trash and left the room and started to the living room before doubling back to the bathroom and grabbing that trash as well. She came back to Carlos and stuffed the trash in with the rest before James came out and went into her bathroom to grab her toiletries.<br>Katie, I packed your clothes, you need to pack the rest of the stuff you need." James said coming out of the bathroom.  
>"Thanks James" she said sincerely. Kendall looked up from the magazine he was reading before putting it down and getting up.<br>"My car is ready to be loaded. Have anything I can start bringing down?" Kendall asked. Before she could answer, James spoke up.  
>"I have a desk in the guest room but there is no chair."<br>"I have a butterfly chair in my closet and I'll want my foot rest." Katie said. Logan grabbed the chair out of the closet and Katie fetched her foot rest. Kendall took both and headed down to his car. Katie went to her room to finish packing her clothes. She went to the dresser and pulled out some under clothes and threw them in the bag. She went to her night stand to get some cash, her wallet, cell phone charger, MP3 player a couple books and her camera. She zipped up her bag before grabbing another one from under her bed. It was a case for her laptop, she slid the laptop and its charger inside and put it with the other bag. She packed up her Gamecube and a few games and added it to the pile. Kendall came back upstairs and grabbed the three bags without question.  
>"Careful, my laptop is in there." she warned. Kendall positioned it so as not to bang it against anything. Carlos had finally come back from the trash run and entered just as Kendall left. She grabbed a few more things before she was ready to go.<br>"Logan, can you grab all my mail, including what's laying on the counter and table?"  
>"Sure." he said as he began to gather it all.<br>"Carlos, grab that box if you would." She instructed.  
>"This one?" He questioned<br>"Yep." She replied as he picked it up. "Ok, ready to go."  
>"Alright, lets head downstairs then." James said. Carlos went first, then Katie, then Logan and James was in the back as he locked Katie's door behind him.<br>They waited for the elevator to arrive when it dinged. It opened to reveal a surprised Kendall.  
>"Got everything?" he asked<br>"Yep" Logan responded.  
>"For now anyway. If she needs more someone can come back to get it later." James stated<br>"Alright then." Kendall acknowledged. They loaded themselves into the elevator and headed out to Kendall's car. Once packed, they headed to the studio for a quick visit.

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	4. Chapter 4

Once at the studio, Kendall parked right outside the door. There was no filming today on this lot so he assumed it was alright. They went inside and made their way to the floor where a large group of people rushed them, happy to see Katie on her feet. She told them, she would return to work in as little as a few days, and would have to start slow and build up to stunts like in the beginning. They were all happy she was back including the director. They were given the next two days off, to help Katie get settled into her new routine. After some final words, everyone was dismissed. Katie went to her dressing room to grab a few things before returning to Kendall's car with Carlos. The others showed up shortly and they made their way to James' condo. They arrived in about 15 minutes. It was a gorgeous view. Like James had said it was on the beach. James went first to unlock the door and the others followed. Katie had never been to his place before. She had never been to any of the guys places actually. She was stunned as she walked in. On the outside it looked like an apartment complex but inside was spacious. The first floor had a grand foyer, the kitchen wasn't far off and attached was a small den/living area. Just off the kitchen was the laundry room it lead to the garage. A door off the den also led to the garage. The patio ran the length of the entire first floor. It was pretty decent. Also on the first floor in the opposite direction of the kitchen was two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Upstairs was the master bed and bath, where James stayed as well as two additional rooms and a large closet. Each room had their own deck. The deck was attached all the way around but had privacy doors that locked on each side. It was a beautiful place. Being both TV stars and Rock stars, these types of luxuries were easily afforded. Although they were well deserved.  
>James led the group down the hall, he opened a door on his left and motioned for her to head inside.<br>"This will be your room. Its got a desk, dresser, book shelf and a small closet. You also have your own bathroom complete with Jacuzzi/shower combo. Your nurse will stay across the hall in the other room. It doubles as an entertainment room, so there is only a pull out couch. I figured you need the bed more."  
>"Wow." She said stunned at the room. "This is amazing…" She turned to James. "thanks so much for offering to let me stay here. Its beautiful."<br>"No problem. I couldn't let you stay in that apartment. We all agreed, you need space so you could be cared for properly" He said embracing her in a friendly hug. "Well then, let's get you moved in, shall we?"  
>"Yes, let's go" Katie said.<br>"You can stay right here." Carlos said.  
>"You didn't have that much stuff, the four of us can get it all." Kendall added.<br>"Test out your new bed" James said enticingly. They went out to the car and grabbed her stuff and were back within a few minutes. They placed her bags down and spent the rest of the afternoon getting her settled in. James gave her a tour of the house as well as told her what happens around there. She had free reign of the place while she was there. After a few hours of fun, Carlos, Logan, and Kendall went home. They would be back sometime tomorrow. Katie's nurse would be arriving in the morning and they figured she could use some help getting used to the place. They also wanted to see what exactly Katie had to go through.

Katie's nurse arrive bright and early the next morning. Very early actually, it was probably around 7. A very groggy James answered the door. He squinted and backed away from the bright morning sun. He looked back through his hands and saw a cheerful woman standing before him.  
>"Good Morning!" She said brightly "I'm Rachel. I'm the live-in nurse for Katherine Tzymskc. I hope I didn't wake you."<br>James glared at her. The words she said weren't going through, he tried to process what was happening but he just wasn't a morning person. He was already out of bed when he heard the doorbell. If he was still asleep in his room, he never would of heard it. He wanted to be back in bed though.  
>"Hello?" Rachel said. James looked at her again before blinking a few times. "Is this the right house?" she asked. James rubbed his head before running his hand through his hair. He looked up at her and nodded. He moved to the side to let her in. Rachel grabbed her things and followed him inside.<br>"this is a gorgeous place you have" she commented  
>"Thanks…" James finally responded.<br>"I can see you are still tired. Again I apologize for waking you. Why don't you show me where I will be staying and I can get settled while you go back to sleep?" She said. James thought her words through for a moment before responding  
>"Sure. This way." he said as he gestured for her to follow him. He showed her to the room opposite Katie. "This is it. It's my entertainment room but I have a sofa bed in there. Katie is in this room right across the hall. I figured this would be the better arrangement rather than her upstairs. Easier on both of you, although you're room might be a little cramped."<br>"No worries." Came Rachel's reply "I can make do."  
>"Let me know if you need something moved. I have an extra fold-away table upstairs that I can bring down if you need additional work space." James added before walking out and back upstairs to bed. He crawled into his bed which was no longer warm and even though he was more awake and alert, he quickly drifted back to sleep.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

He woke up again about 3 hours later. He glanced at the clock, almost 11 am. It was a little later than he usually got up when he slept in but it was worth it. He yawned and stretched a little before getting out of bed. He went about his morning routine as normal and somewhat forgot about this morning's events. He jogged down the stairs and headed to the kitchen where he was met with the nurse from this morning. She looked at him and greeted him with a cheery hello. James stood there stunned trying to remember what was going on. It took him only a few seconds to remember this morning.  
>"How did you sleep?" she asked.<br>"Fine. Thanks."  
>"Would you like something to eat? I have left over waffles."<br>Sure!" He said with a bright smile. He always had to make his own breakfast, it was nice to have someone make it for him for once. He made his way to the table and sat down and Rachel handed him a plate of waffles. He immediately started on them and Rachel finished in the kitchen before leaving.  
>"I'm going to start Katie's therapy. We'll be done in an hour." She told him. He turned to her, mouth full of waffles and gave a quick wave before turning back to his plate. He soon finished and cleaned up. The other 3 band members still hadn't shown up yet. He figured he would text them; he reached down to realize he was still in his boxers. What a first impression to give the nurse….he walked through his house and was about to head upstairs when he heard a loud thump come from one of the rooms down the hall. He ran to see what it was. He knocked before opening the door.<br>"Is everything alright? I heard a loud noise." he asked concerned  
>"We're fine. We're using a medicine ball. Would you care to join us?" Rachel asked<br>"Uh…" he started. A doorbell interrupted him. "I got to go get the door, be right back." he shut the door behind him and ran back down the hall to the front door. He opened it and it was his housekeeper, Emily.  
>"Good gracious, Mister Maslow! Why arent you dressed?" She exclaimed upon seeing him. He looked down at himself and was about to defend his attire when she continued.<br>"What am I to do with you?" She let herself in to begin her work. "I suggest you get dressed sometime today."  
>"Yes, ma'am." he responded. He ran back to Rachel's room. "I'm back. I'll hang for a little bit."<br>"great I could actually use your help for the next part." Rachel said  
>"Oh. Ok then. What do I need to do?" he asked<br>"I'm going to put on this harness and you're going to hold her by it as we do the next exercise."  
>Katie and James looked at each other then at her, confused. Rachel put the harness on Katie and instructed them on the next exercise. It was pretty simple, it was a weight bearing exercise. After a few reps she was out of the harness and done with therapy for the day.<br>"Each day we will add more. By the end of this week or early next week, we can work on set." Rachel said.  
>"That's great!" Katie said enthusiastically.<br>"That is great news. I'll be back in a little bit, I got to get dressed."  
>"Yeah, I meant to comment you on that outfit ha ha!" Katie laughed.<br>"Yeah yeah, keep it up." James teased. He left and headed upstairs he was on the halfway landing that divided the stair case in two as it turned the corner when the doorbell rang once more. "You've got to be kidding me…" He turned to see if Emily was around. To his dismay she wasn't. He ran down the stairs jumping off the last 4 and opened the door. Kendall was behind the door.  
>"Dude, put on some pants!" He joked as he came in.<br>"Believe me, I've been trying. Its been a busy morning so far." He said shutting the door. "I'm going to go change, hopefully without interruption . Carlos and Logan arent here yet so let them in if and when they show up."  
>"Sure, no problem." came the reply as he sat on the couch. James ran up the stairs 3 at a time and got dressed. Once he came back down, Carlos had arrived. They all spent some time together and got to know Katie's nurse, Rachel. They learned the exercises she would be giving Katie and ways they could help. Logan showed up just after it was all explained, but he was filled in. They decided to stay in again for the day. James had his housekeeper prepare dinner before she left and James finished cooking it later. After, they all went out to the movies. They parted ways afterwards and went to their own homes. It was still early but their director had to cut their break short and instead of having tomorrow off as well, they had to go in. James decided he would take a shower and hit the hay. Katie and Rachel were already in their rooms, both working on their computers. He said goodnight to them and told Katie he'd be gone for most of the day. <p>


	6. Chapter 6

***AN* I wrote these past 3 chapters in about 24 hours. I'm pushing myself through it to write something else. I noticed that James is getting the love in this one and that there aren't too many appearances by the other members. I apologize about that. In an interview, James said he lived in a condo and Kendall, as we know, lives at home. I know in a previous fiction I wrote about Carlos' apartment but that was just a fictional place, I know nothing of the type of place he lives in. So this story was originally planned to be living at James' house. Also, as for the layout of James' condo I didnt get to detailed about it but I based it off of a show called Two and a Half Men. Obviously it wouldnt be as dull looking, but its the same generous layout pretty much. James' condo is probably no where near that big but hey this is fiction. My OC's last name changed in this story too. The OC is pretty much just me; I'm keeping it as real as possible but I'm not going to use my real last name you know? I'm not that crazy. That was a lot to read, but I didnt put any AN's in the last two chapters, (where most of this info belonged!) so I figured I'd add a little something now. Enjoy.**

James was up bright and early the next morning. It was about 6am when he headed downstairs to grab a quick bite. A light from the hall caught his eye and he checked to see where it was coming from. Rachel's light was on, and both doors were open, Both were sound asleep. He tip-toed back out and tried to stay as quiet as he could before leaving.  
>He got to the studio before the other three as usual. The crew members that were already there, came up to him with several instructions to start off his busy schedule. He was sent to get prepped for dance rehearsals. After about a half hour the others showed up and were ready to dance.<br>"Hey James, how's the new roommate?" the instructor asked  
>"She's fine. She was sleeping when I left. That nurse is certainly dedicated though." James responded. The 4 band mates and the instructor chit-chatted for a little bit before starting rehearsal. After a long day's work at Tour Boot Camp, they were dismissed for the day. They had to return at the same time for the rest of the week, to work on another portion of Boot Camp. It wasn't terribly late, it was only about 4 in the afternoon, a short day today. He came home and it was relatively quiet. He tossed his stuff on his couch and headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. He shut the fridge door when he heard some noises, he remembered he had guests. He sat down on the couch in his den to watch some TV. Shortly afterward, Rachel came running into the kitchen to grab something out of the freezer. James turned around to say hello when he saw she was getting ice. He hesitated for a moment to watch what she was doing.<br>"Hey Rachel. Everything alright?" He asked concerned. She cracked the tray again before responding; "Hmm? Oh yes. Katie's running a fever and in some pain. She's still quite sick, it seems more serious then it is. She is going to be in a lot of pain on and off until she adjusts to everything and it all gets back on track."  
>He watched her as she darted back and forth getting the supplies that she needed. "Did it just start now?"<br>"No, she was sick last night too, shortly after dinner. It wasn't the food, so don't worry. She's going to get stomach aches, headaches, muscle pain, you name it. I'm sure the hospital staff went over all this?" She explained.  
>"Yeah they did, still worries me though…I never heard of anything like this." James said sadly<br>"Just don't worry, she'll be fine soon enough." She comforted before she dashed out of the room.  
>"Oh….ok…" he trailed off as she left. He sat for a moment in thought before getting up to make himself something to eat. He had another early day tomorrow. He stopped by Katie's room, but Rachel was with her, he thought it best to stay out of the way. He spent the rest of his evening downstairs before retiring for the night.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

***AN* I start school again in another week, I assume my being able to write will be able to last about 2 weeks more. I hope to finish this story by the time I start school again. I have two stories after this that are at the top of my list. I havent been able to write these adventures in chronological order, it gets tough when I get/have numerous ideas. I'll put the time line info as best I can in the story itself or in the first chapter *AN* summary. I got the basics across in this story so the next few chapters should wrap it up nicely. Many thanks to those who have read this far. As I said, this is a slow paced/no plot story. I just wanted to get this idea crossed off my list.**

The next morning was the same, up bright and early. He checked in on the girls, Rachel was asleep and Katie's door was closed. He tapped on the door before opening it slowly just a little bit.  
>"Katie?" he called out in a whisper. She didn't respond and opened the door enough to peek in. She wasn't in bed and he could hear water running. He looked over to see her bathroom door open a bit and light on. He walked in and called out to her again. She opened the door to look out.<br>"What?" she said.  
>"Just checking in, I heard water and figured you were awake. You feeling alright? Better than yesterday?" he asked concerned.<br>"Fine. Just getting some water, I'm thirsty. Are you heading to the lot?" She explained walking to her bed.  
>"Yep, I was just on my way out the door." He responded.<br>"Ok, tell everyone I said 'hi'." She said with a smile.  
>"I will. See you later." he said as he shut the door.<br>"Bye, James." she said with a wave before getting into bed.  
>James was the first to arrive again, although this time, he sat around and waited. The crew members weren't all there yet and the ones that were there, weren't ready. He sat in one of the deck chairs on the Palm Woods pool set and played with his phone. It slowly got busy on set as more people showed up. He didn't notice when Kendall approached.<br>"Dude, what are you doing?" He asked. James looked up.  
>"Oh, staff wasn't ready yet. I guess their running a little late." James explained<br>"Oh. Their ready for us now. Want to come with?" Kendall said  
>"yeah sure. Give me a sec." he said as he finished what he was doing. He got up and put his phone away and followed Kendall to waiting staff members. Logan came in about 10 minutes later. Once all three were ready, they headed to the set to do a refresh on the dance they learned yesterday, before going for vocal training. Carlos was no where to be found<br>"Where's Carlos?" Logan questioned.  
>"He hasn't arrived yet." their manager said. "Have any of you heard from him?" They shook their heads. "See if you can get a hold of him. He might be stuck in traffic or something." Logan got his phone out and scrolled to Carlos' name then hit 'dial'. It rang a few times before he answered.<br>"What's up Logan?"  
>"Where are you?"<br>"I'm pulling into the lot as we speak. I'll be there in a few minutes."  
>"Ok cool, we are already to start practice. Just waitin' on you."<br>"Sorry about that, I got a late start. Like I said I'll be there in a second. I'm 2 studios down."  
>"Hey, no problem. Just head straight to your dressing room, staff members are waiting for you"<br>"Sure. Thanks."  
>"Alright see ya soon, buddy." He hung up and put his phone away before turning to the others. "He's on the lot, he'll be here in a couple minutes."<br>Carlos joined them in about 20 minutes and they all began their dance lesson. They had gotten it near perfect and were sent on their way to vocals where they spent the rest of the morning. They finished a song, landing on a good note and took their regular breather as usual, grabbed some water, talked and the like. Their manager came in and talked with the instructor.  
>"Ok, guys, great job so far. We have some other stuff to prepare for so you get the afternoon off." Their manager said. The guys each had a look of relief on their face, but it was short lived. "Scratch that, be back by 4pm."<br>Carlos looked at his phone; it was 11:10am they had about 4 hours to themselves.  
>"Want to get lunch?" Kendall suggested.<br>"Sounds good." Logan responded  
>"Yeah absolutely." James replied.<br>"Let's go then." Kendall stated  
>"Where?" Carlos asked<br>"Depends. Who feels like what?" Kendall surveyed  
>"Italian" Logan answered<br>"Chinese" Carlos said  
>"Subway" Came James' healthy response.<br>"Buffet Palace it is!" Kendall said turning to exit the room. The others followed him out and headed to their dressing rooms to grab their things. 


	8. Chapter 8

***AN* This story is running longer than I thought...I apologize for that. I have a couple options to go on now. I honestly dont think the story will be much longer. about 1 longer chapter I would estimate. Maybe two chapters. Enjoy. ***

They all met outside the door. Today, James was driving and they all hopped in his car.  
>"How's Katie doing?" Carlos asked<br>"She's doing alright I suppose. She was sick yesterday. Rachel said it was one of those 'attacks' from the imbalance. She ate dinner and shortly after she was in a lot of pain and running a fever." James answered  
>"Oh, man…how was she this morning?" Logan questioned<br>"I checked on her and she was awake, she didn't look like she was in pain. She got back into bed right before I left. I don't know how much sleep she got last night or how long she was sick for." James said  
>"We have the afternoon to ourselves. Let's stop by and see how she is. If she's doing good, maybe her and Rachel would like to come to lunch with us." Carlos suggested<br>"Good idea. Let's go." Kendall said. And with that, James drove to his place.  
>He pulled into his driveway and noticed Emily had arrived. He put the car and park and killed the engine before turning to his friends.<br>"I'll just run in and see if she's up to it."  
>"Hey, James, can I go inside? I want to say 'hi' in case she can't go." Carlos asked<br>"Yeah absolutely, man." James responded  
>"You know, that's a good idea, I'm coming too." Kendall said<br>"Me too." Logan spoke up.  
>"Alright then, let's go." James said as he gestured for them to follow him.<br>They headed up James' longer than average driveway. James fiddled with his keys to find the one for his front door as he walked up the pathway. As they entered, they talked amongst themselves and didn't notice the background noise. As his friends entered, he waited by the door, still conversing before shutting it behind Kendall. They continued their discussion before James started towards the hall to Katie's room. The others began to follow him when Emily came running around the corner. He stopped dead as she ran passed.  
>"Emily?" James said confused. She heard him and turned around<br>"Oh! Mister Maslow!" She replied in a worried/surprised tone  
>"What's the matter? Is everything alright?" he asked concerned.<br>"Your friend is very sick. She isn't doing well…" She responded. James didn't respond before he ran down the hall. The others followed without hesitation. James was the first to burst through the door. Rachel was busy attending to Katie who laying motionless on the bed. Rachel looked up quickly, surprised to see them and also shocked at the sudden intrusion. They stood there, staring at Katie, unsure of what to do. Emily squeezed her way through with supplies for Rachel. They stood silent around her bed, yet out of the way, as Rachel did her work. Katie was breathing very heavily and was somewhat unresponsive. Rachel talked to herself as she worked, she glanced at the guys occasionally. They didn't seem to notice anything, they were in their own little world. She handed a card to Emily "Call this number, and tell them what's going on."  
>"Yes, right away." Emily responded. She left and returned in a matter of minutes. "They are on their way." she said. Carlos snapped out of his trance at her words.<br>"Who's coming?" he asked in a quiet voice.  
>"A doctor. He needs to evaluate her." She replied. Their conversation, gained the attention of the other three.<br>"She's going to be all right though, won't she?" Kendall was concerned.  
>"She should be. This is just one of these episodes she has to go through as part of her recovery. There is a chance she may have to go back to the hospital for a day to two but the chance is very low. The doctor is coming to evaluate and give new medication if she needs it." Rachel explained.<br>The boys didnt respond. The doctor came by shortly and the guys were shuffled out. They took themselves to the living room and sat in silence as they waited. It seemed like an eternity before they heard a door open and close. They looked up and waited, listening for footsteps; they watched to see the doctor come out. They stood up to greet him; before they could ask about Katie the doctor beat them too it.  
>"Your friend will be just fine." he said with a sincere and gentle smile. The guys sank with relief at his words. "You are good friends, to care for her like you do. Its just what she needs during this crucial recovery time. She'll need care and patience." he said grabbing Logan's shoulder. "She'll be getting better by the day now, the worst should be over. She's a very strong girl. I gave her some new medication and a dose of sleeping serum. She'll sleep until tomorrow morning sometime. She was quite drained, which was why this episode seemed so strong; she didn't have the stamina to deal with it." he paused for a moment. "you four should continue on with your day, Rachel will be with her, and like I said, she'll be sleeping so you won't miss anything. Your friend will be fine when she wakes up." He gave them another smile before turning to leave. Kendall stood up.<br>"Doctor." he said.  
>"yes, son?" came the reply<br>"Is there anything we can do for her?" Kendall asked. The doctor smiled again and walked towards him before placing a hand on his shoulder.  
>"Just take care of her. She could use good friends like you to help her through this emotionally. Physically, she'll need help with regaining her strength, and she'll need a bit of care." He said. With that he turned and left. Kendall sat back down. It was silent for a second before he spoke.<br>"Well, you heard him."  
>They looks they gave each other showed their agreement.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

***AN* So there I was writing what i thought was going to be the final chapter when I had this thought I was writing. I had this 'humor' pop into my head as I'm writing and in my head it sounded to good to pass up. So I add it then I get all sorts of twists and turns. this is one of those twists. Its nothing major to be honest and it won't last long. I probably could have fit it into this chapter but I figured this chapter was long enough as it was without this. If I write Long chapters I want them to be endings or details. I'm not entirely sure How I want to end this story I may just end up doing an epilogue. I dont know how those work to be honest. I know that they are last and just kinda quickly describe what happens after the last chapter but I dont know if I can include the actual ending in it or if I have to end the story first before giving the 'what happens next' kind of thing. but I can do it either way I suppose, it is my story and my style of writing. I dont really care about grammar/spelling and rules in free write stories. if I was handing this in yes. In general I do care about spelling and the like, just because i am not a complete moron and dont wish to look like one but I am no grammar nazi. I head back to school on Monday, its going to be an interesting day. I hope all goes well. I want to finish up this story by the time I go back I wont have too much time. Usually we Have about a week to get into the work but one of my classes is a continuation of one I took last semester so the prof is most likely just going to hand out the weekly outline and start from where we left off. nevertheless, enjoy this chapter.***

The next morning Katie was up on the early side. Rachel had slept in her room the night before in case she woke up earlier. Katie got up quietly to go to the bathroom and then tiptoed her way out of her room. She slowly pulled the door around and continued down the hall. She peeked around the corner and up the stairs to listen for any noise. She continued past the staircase quickly, looking at it the whole time. She reached the kitchen and raided the fridge. She wasn't as quiet in the kitchen as she opened and closed cupboards and the fridge. She made herself a bowl of cereal and sat down to eat it, finishing it in about 10 minutes. She sat back for minute as her breakfast settled when she heard a thump. It took her a second to recognize it as the newspaper being delivered. She got up and made her way to the front door. She still watched the stair case for movement or sounds. She opened the front door and gathered the paper, reading it as she closed the door again. She looked up quickly to avoid the single step in the floor, then did a double take. Asleep on the couch in front of her was James. Carlos was curled up on the love seat across from the couch. Surprised but thrilled to see them, she left for the kitchen to clean up from her breakfast. She was busy thinking as she walked into the kitchen, she was startled when she heard a soft moan. She looked up and searched but no one was around. She thought for a second and snuck over to the couches in the den next to the kitchen. She peeked around the corner and saw Logan sprawled out on one couch. Kendall was fast asleep on the other; he was the one making noise. She smiled at them before returning to the kitchen. She quietly picked up and washed the dishes and wiped the table before returning to her room.  
>She stood behind the closed door inside her room and looked around. She wasn't tired but she felt low on energy. She decided to take it easy for a little bit. She reached into her bag and pulled out a book before hopping into bed. She read a few chapters before drifting off to sleep. Some noises woke her up. She opened her eyes and looked around; nothing. She could have sworn something or someone was there. The next question was when did she fall asleep? She then remembered reading her book, she looked for it but didn't see it. She looked around for it on the bed, flipping sheets and patting them when she noticed it on the nightstand. She went to grab it before stopping herself; she realized someone had come in. Someone was awake, so she got up to see who.<br>Rachel's door was halfway shut, Katie could clearly see her sleeping. She continued to the living room quietly. James and Carlos were still sleeping. They hadn't even moved. She peeked around the wall to the den and saw Kendall but not Logan. He wasn't in the den or the kitchen. She looked at the clock on the microwave, it was just before 9. She thought about where he might've gone this early. If the guys were here, then they either had the day off or went in later, they never blew off work to sleep or do something else. She headed towards her room and had a thought, she was given free range of the house but hadn't been upstairs yet; she found it awkward. With James sound asleep downstairs, she thought she would take a quick peek. It was quite generous upstairs as well. It had three additional bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, a kitchenette and open living space. This condo was huge! Why James needed this much space was beyond her, but all the rooms were furnished and looked used. If there was this much space, why was everybody asleep on the couches downstairs? She shrugged it off and headed back downstairs after her exploration. Once she reached the end of the staircase she grabbed the banister and flung herself in the direction of the kitchen. She was halfway there when she heard a door open; she stopped and turned to see who it was. After a couple seconds Logan appeared. He was buckling his belt when he looked up and saw her. She flashed him a smile and he ran to her tackling her in a spin hug. Not expecting that, she lost her balance. Logan managed to keep her from falling.  
>"I'm sorry are you alright?" he asked. He nodded. "I didn't mean to come at you like that, just happy to see you up and about."<br>"That's alright. Come on to the kitchen so we don't wake them" she said gesturing to James and Carlos. She turned to the kitchen and Logan followed without question. They went to sit at the table when Kendall made more noises. They both looked at him as he began to move, thinking he was starting to wake up. Kendall managed to roll himself over but stayed asleep. Logan sat at the table while Katie grabbed some Cheerios; she opened up one of the cupboards to reveal it was empty. She went to the next one and saw more bowls on the top shelf. She reached for it but couldn't quite reach it. Logan looked up at her just as she stopped reaching, and saw her jump on the counter.  
>"Katie! Don't do that!" he chastised<br>"I need a bowl." she stated calmly  
>"Then ask someone to get it for you. You're in no condition to be climbing things." He lectured as he helped her off the counter. She went with no fuss. Safe on the ground, Logan grabbed her a bowl and one for himself. "You, sit at the table, I'll get the rest of the stuff."<br>She somewhat reluctantly sat at the table and watched as Logan grabbed silverware, milk and some fruit. She poured herself some Cheerios and took the milk from Logan. They both ate quietly, Logan finished his first bowl and poured himself a 2nd. He ate a few spoonfuls before Kendall started making ruckus. They watched as he slowly went from a low moaning to tossing and turning to slow, blind, lazy flailing. They couldn't help but muster a chuckle at his antics. Kendall cuddled his pillow briefly before it fell to the ground, Kendall followed shortly. He landed on the floor with a loud thud.  
>Katie and Logan got up and were at his side in an instant. Kendall was no longer moving or making noise, he was breathing though. His head rested underneath the coffee table, giving a hint that he could have hit his head on the way down.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

***AN* Final chapter. I managed to fit it into 10 after all. I thought it would have been shorter though. As far as the 'plot twist' I came up with last chapter, this is it. I liked it. It wasnt much, I'll be honest with you but for some reason it was flowing into the story and I decided to roll with it. Since this story is done, I'm not sure whether I will jump into my next one or wait a little bit. my next story will hopefully be short. there isnt much detail in the outline that i have so I'll try to keep it that way. It may be 2 long chapters. I'm thinking the more stories I write, the shorter they will be. Without a long origin story, i feel the need to put in some background on the different characters I put in with the guys of BTR. just so it makes a little more sense.***

"Go wake up Rachel." Katie said sternly to Logan. He looked at her with a stunned look for a second before he sprang to his feet and ran through the living room to Rachel's room. The door was ajar but he called to her first.  
>"Rachel?" he said a bit desperately. There was no response. "Rachel!" He called out again, before opening the door. She was still asleep. Logan went up to her and started shaking her as he called her name. She moaned before rolling over and meeting his gaze. She sat up quickly. "What's wrong?" she said panicked as she flipped the covers off herself.<br>"It's Kendall, he fell off the couch and we think he hit his head." Logan explained in a bit of a panic. Rachel was already on her feet as Logan ran out of the room; Rachel wasn't far behind. Logan lead the way to Kendall who was still on the floor, Katie at his side.  
>Rachel got down next to him and Katie got up so she could work freely. Rachel made quick work of him, checking him from head to toe. She found nothing on his skull and his vitals were fine.<br>"I don't think he hit his head, I don't see or feel anything and his vitals are normal." she explained. She just about finished her sentence when Kendall grunted and swung his arm. "Yeah, he's fine." Rachel said with a chuckle. "help me get him back on the couch."  
>"Shouldn't we wake him?" Logan asked.<br>"No, let him sleep, he's fine. Just move the coffee table to avoid a disaster." she said. Katie put her hands on the table and waited for them to move Kendall. "Logan switch with me." Rachel stated. Logan took Kendall's upper body and Rachel took his legs and together picked him up and plopped him on the couch. "Wow is he a heavy sleeper!" Rachel said surprised.  
>"We've been working hard at boot camp, gets a little tiring after a while." Logan explained.<br>"Oh right, Logan don't you guys have to work today?" Katie asked  
>"No, actually. We had a split day yesterday. We got off just after 11am and had a break until about 4pm. We stopped by to see if you wanted to go to lunch with us and saw you were in a bad state. The doctor said you would be fine but we wanted to make sure. We went back to work yesterday but stayed later to cover what we would have missed. We were there until, I don't know, like, 3 or 4am." Logan said.<br>"How did you all end up here?" She said curiously  
>"We came to check in on you of course" he said playfully as he tousled her hair. "James said we could crash here since it was so late. We stayed up for a little while, to see if you would wake up early but we didn't last long and fell asleep in a matter of minutes."<br>"If you guys are so tired then why are you up so early?" She asked  
>"I never sleep much, especially lately. On the bus I don't sleep more than 2 hours at a time." he replied. The sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation. They turned to see Carlos walk in groggily. Upon seeing them, Carlos stretched and yawned before speaking. "What's going on guys?"<br>"Good morning Carlos." Katie said with a smile.  
>"Morning Katie." he replied sleepily. He did a double take before his eyes lit up. "Katie! You're awake!" he said with a half still sleepy smile on his face. She nodded in reply. "How are you feeling?" he asked sincerely.<br>"I'm feeling fine. Well rested."  
>"She's acting like her normal self. She was climbing on the counters a little while ago." Logan stated.<br>"Katie!" Rachel reprimanded.  
>"Yeah, yeah, I know don't do that. I already got the third degree from Logan." she stopped Rachel.<br>"She's right though. We are here to help you get through this after all. No matter how well you feel you shouldn't push yourself. You'll get there soon enough." Carlos said with a smile putting his arm around her.  
>"What are you doing up anyway?" Rachel asked.<br>"I heard everybody running back and forth like some sort of sprint marathon." Carlos explained. Logan rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked at the girls.  
>"Sorry about that buddy. I was running to get Rachel. Kendall had a spaz attack in his sleep and ended up on the floor. We thought he hit his head."<br>"Is he alright?" Carlos beamed.  
>"Yes, he's fine. Slept through the whole thing." Rachel giggled.<br>"That sounds like him." Carlos said through a smile. Katie laughed. The four of them sat at the table and chatted amongst themselves for a while. Occasionally, quieting themselves down in an effort to avoid awaking James or Kendall. After about an hour, Rachel excused her self, leaving the three to talk for a minute. She came back with some equipment and began tending to Katie. Logan and Carlos watched as Katie went through a couple different minor tasks, took medication, and vitals were checked. Rachel recorded everything on her computer before returning the equipment to her room. Carlos made himself some breakfast, Logan had seconds as well. Rachel came back in to see the boys devouring their food.  
>"I never could understand how and why guys could eat so much and so fast. It'll remain a mystery." she chuckled. Carlos and Logan smiled, trying not to laugh or they would spit out their food. Kendall went into another spaz mode and they turned to him to see him swing his arms off the couch and the rest of his body followed with a thud. They had concerned looks on their faces and Carlos and Logan both stood up ready to run to their buddy's side. This time though, as soon as Kendall fell he popped right back up. He looked around confused for a few seconds before setting sights on his pals. He blinked a few times before he spoke.<br>"What's going on?" he asked sleepily as he rubbed his face. "How did I end up on the floor…?" he continued confused.  
>"Dude, you fell." Carlos explained.<br>"What were you dreaming about? You were spazzing like a sleeping dog." Katie asked. Kendall stared at her trying to process her words.  
>"I…I don't remember…" Kendall said as he thought about it.<br>"As long as you're alright, it doesn't matter. Come get yourself some breakfast." Rachel said. Kendall got up from the floor and walked to the kitchen. The four of them continued talking and having fun. Rachel cleaned up a bit before heading to her room to organize her work. James was still out cold on the couch in his living room. Rachel checked on him to make sure he was ok. He was fine just exhausted.  
>Rachel was busy in her work when she glanced at the clock. It was well past noon. Even though she was doing some pretty boring stuff, time seemed to just fly right by. She gathered her papers and organized them before setting up equipment for Katie's therapy. She headed down the hall and stood in the door way looking into the living room and called out to Katie. She saw her in the kitchen roughhousing lightly with Logan, Carlos and Kendall. She yelled to Katie. James was startled awake.<br>"Who! What! Where?" James yelled in a panic as he sat up nearly falling off the couch.  
>"Oh my goodness, James! I'm so sorry I didn't realize you were still sleeping!" She apologized frantically as she rushed to him.<br>"…Rachel?" he asked confused "What's up?"  
>"James I'm really sorry! I didn't know you weren't up yet. I couldn't see you on the couch, and I totally forgot." Rachel fussed over him. James flipped his hair before giving a quick head shake. He was more awake now and could focus better. He looked up at her before getting up and putting his hands on her shoulders.<br>"It's ok. Really. Is everything alright? How's Katie?" He asked concerned.  
>"Yes, everything is fine; Katie is alright, she woke up early this morning apparently. She's been in the kitchen for a few hours with the others." Rachel explained starting to calm down. A burst of laughter interrupted them; confirming Rachel's story. James turned to the sound then back at Rachel with an acknowledging smile and jogged to the kitchen. Rachel walked to the kitchen, following James.<br>"Hey James" Logan greeted him  
>"Morning" Said Carlos<br>"Bout time you got up" Kendall teased.  
>"Good Morning James." Came Katie's usually pleasant and polite greeting. "how did you sleep?"<br>"Pretty well actually. Glad to see you up and around. How are you feeling?"  
>"Pretty good." She said with a smile. James went to walk over to her when he felt small particles under his feet. "What the…?" He looked down and noticed Cheerios all over the floor. "Why is there cereal all over my kitchen floor…?" he asked the group calmly.<br>"I dropped the box as I poured. I picked it up or at least most of it but the bits I gathered became ammo for a food fight/contest."  
>"Oooo! What's the challenge?" James said interested as he sat at the table forgetting about his messy kitchen. Before anyone could answer Rachel stopped them<br>"Wait a minute! You can't be serious. There is cereal all over this kitchen and you want to add too it by playing a silly little game?"  
>Silence fell across the room as Rachel waited for a response. "Well?" she added. They remained silent for a little longer.<br>"But I want to play." James said in a small but serious voice. Rachel face palmed and sighed.  
>"This is not what I signed up for…All of you are in your twenties, how can you act like this?" she said exasperated<br>"Its fun?" Kendall offered  
>"It really is entertaining. When you work long hard hours and have to be serious, even on a humorous show, it can get a little aggravating." Carlos said<br>"This is how we relieve all that tension and have a little fun." Katie added.  
>"That's true. And at least something this little can be fun but yet not overpowering for Katie. She can still have fun with us without going overboard." he said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her. Rachel sighed as she looked at them.<br>"I guess your right no harm done." she said. "But I suggest you find something a little less messy or do this outside. In the mean time, Katie, its time for your therapy." She gestured to her. Katie got up and started for the living room, pausing waiting for Rachel.  
>"We'll be about an hour, so clean up a little, and James, get some breakfast." Rachel said. They guys agreed and got to work immediately. They finished cleaning in a few minutes and sat at the table while James had breakfast. Once he finished they decided to check in on Katie's physical therapy. James stood at the sink rinsing his bowl as the other three left; he would meet up with them in a few. They sat and watched as Katie went through different exercises and encouraged her all the way. They even took turns helping out. After her therapy they all went out to the movies for an afternoon.<p>

***AN* I will be putting an epilogue on this story. I dont know when exactly though. I'm just using the epi for some additional thoughts I had. i didnt want to extend the story just to fit it in. the epi will be part of what I had originally outlined. It was going to extend over two-four weeks rather than the couple days. I'm writing the epi now and should be posted within the next few days. I'm moving back to school tomorrow afternoon, but since I only live about 15 minutes from it, I'll be back home until Tuesday night.***


	11. Epilogue

***AN* this is the Epilogue. not much dialogue. the story doesnt really move forward at all. The ending bit is kind of out of place but I needed to meet a word requirement for an assignment. This story is officially complete (Technically it was after the last chapter). I will begin work on new stories later on. I'm going to take a break for a while. Enjoy. :)***

After a day of fun, it was time for the guys to head back to Tour Boot Camp. Katie stayed at James' place with her nurse Rachel as she recovered. The days turned into weeks and the guys were given the weekend off to recover and rest up before leaving early Monday morning for their Nationwide Headlining Tour. They spent the rest of Thursday and all of Friday just hanging at their own places getting packed and ready to go and just chilling out before being jammed on a bus for 8 weeks. Katie had her ups and downs as she recovered but overall was doing fantastic. On Saturday, they all got together and spent the day with Katie. They went out to lunch to one of their favorite local stake houses. Rachel had come along as well; Katie wasn't quite better yet and needed a bit of help. Her fine motor skills were the last thing to return and sometimes made working a fork and knife difficult especially for long periods. Rachel eventually took over and helped her. Minutes later her phone rang and she went outside to hear the conversation better. Carlos took over and helped Katie out. They went to the movies afterwards and saw a comedy. After a that good laugh they hung out in the arcade then went to the boardwalk and went on a few rides at a nearby carnival. They then jumped down to the beach and splashed around in the cool ocean before taking a nice walk back to James' place. It was about 2 miles from the boardwalk and they walked it all the time but Katie, tired out easily now. As she started to lag behind, James quickly and quietly picked her up and continued to walk down the beach. After about a mile she asked to be put down. He did and she continued along side them with no problem. They reached the back side of James' house and began the trek up the long stair case. Katie slowed down about halfway up but managed to keep moving forward. Rachel was right beside her. Carlos looked back and saw her lagging and waited for her to catch up and walked next to her on the other side. The other three waited atop the stairs and put an arm around her when she finally came up. They headed inside and sat in the living room. James and Kendall got drinks for everyone and then ordered some pizza for a nice night in. The guys spent the night again, this time they each had a bed. They had breakfast together the next morning having more fun.  
>Emily, the house keeper, came in a little later than usual. She noticed the cars in the driveway and new she had her work cut out for her. It never failed, whenever James had friends over, his house was a mess by the time they left. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the day. She never complained though, James was a rather organized person. Unless he had a wild party, the messes were never all that bad. James was generous too, he was a easy going and nice person to be around and work for. He gave her bonuses at the holidays and if there was a massive mess. Despite her worst fears, it was one of the easier days to clean. There was a large amount to wash, some scattered cheerios and numerous dishes but nothing out of the ordinary. She got started right away.<br>The guys soon parted ways, there was still much too do before leaving. They gathered the rest of their clothes, supplies and anything else they wanted. Dustin came by each members house and picked up the luggage they already had packed and took it back to the lot to pack on the bus so when the guys arrived later it would be ready to go. Dustin was a quiet person for sure. He was almost always around on tours and interviews but not as much on set. Dustin and Katie rarely talked. It wasn't that they didn't like each other it was just they didn't see each other as often. It seemed like Dustin was just 'part of the crew' he wasn't a star. Maybe he felt misplaced? Whichever the case, Dustin was a great help and Katie was grateful that he helped out BTR, she hoped maybe one day he would guest star on the show or something. He's part of Heffron Drive so obviously he has talent. He worked hard and deserved some spotlight too. Although true fans of both Heffron Drive and BTR knew that already. James had his bags just inside the door. James told him to just come in, he would leave the door unlocked. Dustin came by mid afternoon and grabbed the three bags that were there.  
>"James!" Dustin called his name. "James!"<br>"I'm upstairs!" James yelled down. Dustin went up the stairs 3 at a time and talked to him on the platform in the middle of the staircase.  
>"Are you only taking three bags?"<br>"No I have more, I'm still packing. I can't find my last suitcase." James replied. Dustin went up the rest of the way and went to James' room. "I'm taking that one over there. This is the last one I'm taking" Dustin took the bag on the floor and brought it out to his car. James finished the bag he was working on and brought it down stairs. He dropped it by the open door. Dustin came in just as it fell.  
>"Emily!" he yelled.<br>"What is it Mr. Maslow?"  
>"Have you seen my medium suitcase? I cant find it and I need it so I can finish packing." James said. Emily came out of the kitchen drying her hands. She thought for a second.<br>"Which one?" She asked. Dustin came back in.  
>"The medium sized one. Its black and kind of beat up. The one I always take with me?" he explained.<br>"Oh yes. Its in the hall closet."  
>"I'll get it." Dustin said.<br>"Thanks man. Thanks Emily." James said  
>"No problem." she replied and went back to her work.<br>Dustin was digging through the closet to find the suitcase. It was all the way in the back. He managed to get it out and brought it to James.  
>"Thanks. It won't take long to fill this. Help yourself to something to eat. Just don't take anything on the bottom shelf. That's everything Katie needs for her recovery." James instructed. Dustin acknowledged the instructions and raided the fridge grabbing a soda. He somewhat chugged it, finishing as James came back down.<br>"Here's the last one" James said handing it to Dustin. He took it and packed it in his already packed truck. James was only the third stop. He was heading to Kendall's place next. He said farewell to James and told him some last minute instructions before backing out and heading down the road. James remained busy the rest of the day going over instructions and lists. He grabbed a few last minute items and placed them by the front door before turning in early. He wanted to get some sleep before getting up. He had to be at the lot by 3am and they were going to be on the road by 6am.  
>His alarm woke him up just before 2am. He got dressed and looked halfway decent before heading down stairs. He grabbed a few snacks from the kitchen and put them in the bag by the door. He went to Katie's room to see if she was awake. He knocked lightly but there was no response. He opened the door slowly and saw it was dark. He didn't want to wake her so he stood at the door and sent a text. He waited for the phone on her nightstand to light up and vibrate. She didn't move, she was a heavy sleeper. He whispered "Goodbye" before shutting the door. He turned off the lights and went out the door, locking it behind him. He stood on the curb and waited. He wasn't waiting long before a pair of headlights lit up the street. It pulled over to James and he got in the back. Kevin, Kendall's brother was driving and Kendall had shotgun. Kevin was driving them both so it would be one less car the crew members had to watch over. They arrived a little early but the lot was already packed. The parking lot was lit up so brightly that it looked like mid-day. Kevin stayed with them for a little bit before telling Kendall he was going to head back home. Kendall had already asked if he would help out Katie since he was only down a few blocks. The family had agreed. Kendall said goodbye to his brother and Kevin drove away. Only two buses were in the parking lot this time. Their studio bus was staying in LA for the time being. Both buses were being packed and last minute adjustments and checks were being made. BTR, Band and crew stood in a circle listening to instructions, directions, and changes. After all was said and done, the buses were packed and ready for action; everyone boarded their respective vehicles. BTR got into their bunks and settled in. Kendall just about closed his eyes before he was jostled awake by several noises. The driver and their tour manager were talking loudly about something. Their manager finally left and the driver started the engine. Kendall looked out his bunk and could see out the front windows pretty clearly. Studio crew members cleared a path and gave different signals to the bus driver and other crew members. He heard the other bus start up behind them. A couple cars and vans pulled up in front of them, stopping at the gate. A crew member gave a signal and the driver did his thing. The bus released pressure and revved up as he stepped on the gas slowly and followed the waiting group ahead. The guard had the gate already open and the fleet of vehicles left one by one, heading down the street towards the high way. Their first stop was in Washington state.<br>Katie woke up sometime around 10. She stretched and got up to use the bathroom. When she came back her phone lit up. She picked it up to see that she had a new message. She unlocked her phone and there were 5 other messages waiting. 4 messages were from each of the guys and then 2 from back home. She read the messages with a smile on her face. She put her phone down when she finished and left to get started with her day. The days went by slowly at first, it was tough to get used to the calmness. She was used to it in her own apartment but this house was nearly 5 times as big it was difficult to adjust. She found herself getting bored and she just stayed on her computer for most of the day. Eventually she dug out the video games and read her books. She felt better each day and could feel herself get stronger. She couldn't wait for the guys to get back. They could have fun like they used to. She got the idea half way through to throw a party for them when they came back.  
>She ran it by Rachel and Emily and they agreed. She called the Schmidt house and they were more than happy to help. They planned the party in about a week. Katie found a contact list in James night stand. Kendall's brother Kenneth dropped by a list of Kendall's contacts. They couldn't get everybody to come but they got enough of their close friends. They spent two weeks shopping and getting supplies together. They decorated a week early to have more time for the last minute stuff like cooking. Kevin and Kenneth did most of the decorating. It had been 8 weeks and the guys were coming back in less than 24 hours. Everything was ready for their arrival. More than likely the guys would be exhausted but Katie hopped it would wake them up a little. This was as good a thank you to them all for taking care of her and helping her as she could think of. They finished the cooking and set up for the guests who were already starting to arrive. Within a few hours, all the guests arrived and everything was ready, now they just waited for the guests of honor. Katie wasn't sure if they would all show up, she played it off like she wasn't feeling well just yet; that some things were difficult. She played enough sad stories to get them concerned and they said they would come visit as soon as they got back. The director was in on it too. He was waiting at the lot for the buses to return and would tell them that they didn't have time to get their cars and he would bring them home one by one, starting with James' place. The house was dark and quiet and the guests had parked down the street to avoid any suspicion. There were a couple lookouts watching out for the director's car.<br>"They're here!" one of the look out's shouted. Everyone took their places and waited. They heard commotion outside.  
>"Hurry up, James" Kendall said<br>"I'm trying I cant find the key…" James replied  
>"You don't have that many doors, why do you have so many keys?" Logan asked<br>"Your guess is as good as mine." James said.  
>The guests inside heard the jingle of the keys and the click of the lock as he unlocked the door. They talked amongst themselves as they walked in. James felt the wall for the switch and turned it on. Everyone popped out of their places and yelled "Welcome Home!" The guys screamed and stumbled in all directions at the surprise. It took them a second to gain their surroundings and process what was going on. They looked around confused until Katie came around the corner.<br>"Welcome Home." She said calmly with a smile. The guys relaxed and were thrilled to see her up and about. They rushed to her and took turns picking her up. They hugged her never wanting to let her go.  
>"You scared us!, I thought you weren't doing well!" Carlos said with worry in his voice.<br>"I'm sorry Carlos, I just wanted to surprise you. You know to thank you guys for everything." Katie explained.  
>"You don't have to thank us. Just knowing you're alright is good enough for us." Logan said sweetly<br>They group hugged for a while before the tears started rolling.  
>"Katie what's wrong?" James asked concerned.<br>"I'm just so happy that you guys care. No one has ever cared for me like you do. I can never thank you enough for giving me a chance." Katie said  
>The guys couldn't reply. They tried so hard to hold back their emotions but to no avail. They held each other for a while before breaking apart and facing the crowd, eyes red and puffy.<br>"Let's get this party started!" Katie said. The crowd cheered and the music was turned up. They partied until late into the night, having the time of their lives. 


End file.
